The major objective is to understand fundamental mechanisms of normal liver function, as well as alterations in these functions resulting form diseases caused by metabolic, drug, metal, inheritable and viral agents. Specific areas under study include transport processes, membrane receptor biology, and structural-functional relationships; molecular biology, somatic gene transfer and gene therapy, hepatic fibrosis and mechanisms of hepatic carcinogenesis; liver cell metabolism, heavy metal metabolism, mechanisms of liver injury and organelle pathology. By bringing excellent basic scientists into disease-related research, together with hematologists interested in fundamental mechanisms of hepatic dysfunction, we believe that imaginative approaches to basic cell biology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of liver disease will emerge. A large and diverse population provides many patients with viral, alcoholic and parasitic liver disease, as well as various inheritable disorders of the liver.